Deaths
Mary Ann Finnegan
Mary Ann Finnegan, former director of academic personnel for the College of Medicine, died April 1. She was 79.
Formerly of Jefferson, Iowa, Finnegan began her career at the UIC College of Medicine in 1960 and retired in 1993.
She enjoyed traveling and visited all seven continents.
She is survived by her sisters, Jean (Joe) DeBoest and Joan Pierret; a niece; eight nephews and their 25 children.
Services have been held.
Bernard Greenberg
Bernard Greenberg, professor emeritus of biological sciences at UIC, died May 5 at his home in Hyde Park. He was 95.
Greenberg, know as the father of modern forensic entomology, helped law enforcement agencies with murder investigation through his research on maggots. He studied the life cycles of blow flies and the stages of larvae. Through forensic entomology, the presence of maggots helps police pinpoint time markers on decomposing bodies.
Greenberg began his career at UIC as an assistant professor in 1954 after receiving his doctorate in entomology from the University of Kansas. He was named a full professor of biological sciences in 1996 and retired in 1990.
He is survived by his daughters, Linda Greenberg-Hanessian and Deborah Irwin; sons, Gary and Daniel; 11 grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Robert Pirsig
Author Robert M. Pirsig, who taught writing at UIC in the 1960s, died April 24 at his home in South Berwick, Maine. He was 88.
Pirsig was known for his popular philosophical novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which was published in 1974 to critical acclaim. The novel, which was turned down by more than 100 publishers, later sold more than a million copies. Based on a motorcycle trip Pirsig took with his 12-year-old son Christopher in 1968, the novel inspired generations to road trip across the country.
In 1960, he taught English at Montana State University for two years, then began teaching at UIC in 1962.
In 1991, he published a second book, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals, a fictional account of sailing down the Hudson River.
He is survived by his wife, Wendy Kimball; son, Ted; and daughter, Nell.
Services have been held.
